Dark Star
by Sarnamia
Summary: Two former friends, torn apart by different priorities, are shipped off as new recruits to fight against their own kind during the Keronian Civil War. On the battlefield, they discover that the world is not all black and white. Pre-Pokopen Invasion.
1. The Keron War

Recruit Giroro sat anxiously outside of the Keronian Army Base. It would not be much longer before he would carry on the tradition of his family and represent the Keronian Military on the battlefield.

Normally, soldiers would be restricted from the front lines until they achieved the rank of Private Second Class. However, even though it was never publicly stated, the revolutionary forces had forced the military to draw upon its reserves. The training facilities which once prided themselves on the quality of their graduates now served as a recruit assembly line focused on quantity rather than quality.

Giroro felt his muscles tighten. Thanks to his military-orientated family, he had been heavily trained before his enlistment. It was obvious that, for many of the others in his class, this was not the case. Most could barely handle a gun during drills. Some didn't even know how to fire one.

The current situation led the military to continue to speed up the process, despite the rising fatality rates among new, inexperienced soldiers. Even with his training, Giroro knew his chances of returning alive were slim to none. For the first time in generation the Keron Force was fighting a worthy opponent: itself.

A sudden presence next to him caused the young soldier to jump slightly. A certain green Keronian had settled next to him.

"It has been a while, Keroro," the red Keronian snarled. He was repulsed by the sight of his former childhood friend bearing the symbol of the Keron Forces. Keroro was a failure, a slacker that did not come close to deserving the honor of representing the Keronian Military in battle. When he was young, Giroro had valued their friendship. That was before Keroro revealed himself to be the unforgivable; a pacifist coward.

"You always make me feel so welcome, Giroro!" The green Keronian said lightheartedly. The laced sarcasm left an extremely bitter taste inside Giroro's mouth.

"You are late as usual, Keroro. Do you not understand what is going on?"

"As I hear it, the Keron Force grew tired of not being at war, so they decided to fight each other for the hell of it. It's not going very well for them, from what I hear." Keroro winked slowly as he lightly pushed Giroro's shoulder.

"You're an idiot, Keroro."

Keroro smiled, unfazed by the insult, and leaned back against the wall surrounding the base. Giroro could not believe the arrogance openly displayed by the green fool. How could this cocky, worthless, pacifist coward be the son of the legendary Sergeant Taroro.

Sergeant Taroro had been not much older than Keroro when he had eliminated the last Viper-controlled strongholds on Keron. It was a task that the Keronian military estimated would take four full battalions. Taroro, using techniques unheard of at the time, completed the mission with four men under his command: an infantry/heavy weapons specialist, an assassin, a technology expert, and a hand-to-hand combat expert.

Giroro's father had been among them.

'Must be his mother's genes," Giroro thought. How else could a great soldier like Sergeant Taroro produce such weak-minded offspring?

"You would have made a great daughter, Keroro."

"Gero?"

"You heard me, idiot."

"Giroro."

"I guess I won't have to deal with you much longer. You'll be dead before you have time to realize how important that training you skipped was."

"Giroro!"

"The good thing is after you're dead, your father can show his face in public again," Giroro snarled.

"I can do this all day."

"What?" The red Keronian turned angrily to the other. It was obviously taking all his willpower to keep from physically hurting the other.

"I was either going to ask you about my new perfectly scaled model of the Grand Star or that our ride is here, you loud red thing." The green Keronian's singing voice achieved its goal; Giroro was on the verge of a meltdown.

During Giroro's rant, the military transportation vessel had landed in front of the base. A line of wide-eyed recruits with a few retuning veterans mixed in, lined up to meet it.

Without saying a word, Giroro headed off toward the vessel. As he got closer a feeling of dread worked its way inside of him. This might possibly be the last time he would ever see his home. He and the other recruits were headed toward the bloodiest war in Keronian history, and they knew it.

Time seemed to slow down as he headed toward the craft. It felt as though he was turning into ice, beginning with his arms and legs and working toward his chest. By the time he stepped onto the vessel, the ice had consumed his heart. He looked back behind him, immediately noticing Keroro. He shook his head, flustered. Why on Keron would he be looking for Keroro? He was a soldier of Keron. He was fearless.

"Giroro!"

Giroro whirled, recognizing the voice before he even saw the wheelchair-bound purple Keronian beside the shuttle. A look of shock crossed Giroro's normally emotionless features. What was Garuru doing here?

Gesturing to the pilot that it would only take a second, Giroro faced his elder brother.

"Garuru, shouldn't you be in the hospital?"

The elder's eyes glinted mischievously as a smirk slowly crossed his face.

"You could say I snuck out. Let's not discuss that further; I do not want to hold you up any longer than I have to. I wanted to give you this." He reached out to Giroro, his old belt held firmly in his hand.

"This belt was given to be by our father. He wore it when he served under Sergeant Taroro during the campaign to free all Keronians from the control of the Vipers. I believe this belt will serve you well; just as it has served your father and me."

_Giroro, it's your brother. There was a bomb attack on the West Star Base._

"I can't possibly take it, Garuru."

_Wait, where are you taking me? By brother is in there! Where are you taking me?_

_You can't see your brother right now. I'll tell you what though, that brother of yours is a hero. _

"I'm not giving you an option, Giroro. A soldier of Keron serves all of the people, just as our father and Sergeant Taroro did. This will remind you of that when you need it to, Giroro!"

_Why did he do it? Why didn't he leave? Why did he have to go back inside?_

_We need to let the medics do their job. They are the only chance he has. You can't see him now, Giroro! Come back!_

Giroro gently took the belt in his hand. It was surprisingly heavy, perhaps weighed down from the burden of all it had witnessed.

_I failed a lot of people today, Giroro._

_What are you talking about, Garuru? If it wasn't for you, a lot more would have been killed. _

_I saw my brothers die under my watch, Giroro. That is a failure. One day, you will understand. _

Garuru nodded silently and turned to the next Keronian in line.

"I have something for you as well, Recruit Keroro." Garuru held up an old military laser sword issued by the Keronian Force. The metal handle was decorated with a simple golden star. Without Garuru even having to say anything, Keroro knew who the previous owner of the weapon was.

"For as long as your father fought against the Vipers, the one life that this sword claimed was Keronian; a traitor who aligned himself with the enemy and was responsible for killing more if our brothers and sisters than all of the top Viper generals combined. Even then, your father did not kill him out of anger, but to protect the many innocent live at stake. To this day, even though he has only killed one enemy, he is held in the highest regard. A soldier is not remembered for his skill or power, but by how he uses them."

Keroro took the sword and promptly saluted.

"Thank you, Sergeant Garuru."

Giroro snorted as he boarded the transport vessel. What did Keroro do to earn Garuru's acknowledgement; a thing he had been working toward for years?

He shot a glance out the window as the ship rose off the ground. Garuru remained outside, never taking his eyes off the ship that contained his brother. For a spit second, Giroro could have sworn that his brother appeared upset; probably a trick of the light. As Garuru faded out of view, Giroro turned his attention to the belt. To his surprise there was a small note attached to it.

_Giroro,_

_Power without kindness is wasteful. Strength without friendship is useless. The coward that cares for others is more respectable than the fearless one that is in it only for himself. In the time ahead, everything you know will be tested, just as it was with me. Keep Keroro close; you will need each other more than ever._

_I will await your safe return,_

_Garuru_

Giroro glanced to the side. Keroro had settled down next to him and was fast asleep. Did Garuru have any idea how useless this fool was? He would have a much easier time trusting a rock to watch his back in battle.

He leaned back against his seat. Maybe the rush of war would cure Keroro of his terminal case of stupidity. It would force him to act like a soldier of Keron for once. If he didn't he would be killed.

No questions asked.


	2. Gateway to War

The sudden jerk of the craft hitting the ground yanked Giroro out of his trace-like state. Immediately, his eyes were drawn to the large, well-illuminated military compound rising out of the surrounding blackness.

It obviously wasn't designed with stealth in mind.

The East Star Base was an impressive fortress by any standards. The compound itself resided behind a double set of electrically charged walls. The wall facing the outside was flowing with positively charged particles while the inside one had negatively charged ones. Giroro had heard of this system before; touch the barrier from the inside or outside and you were fine. If you happened to go between the two, you would serve as a bridge for the massive electric charge. In short, it was debatable if there would even be anything left to clean up.

Behind the walls, it was apparent that the Keronian Military spared no expense when designing the base. From what Giroro could see from the transport vessel, the base had more of its fair share of land-based and surface-to-air weapons. Without a doubt, there were many more that he could not see at the moment.

"What a shame, Giroro! After all this time, the military still doesn't know how to decorate. Did they really put that missile next to that window? The designer gods are crying out in pain!"

"What a shame. You were so quiet on the way over, I thought you were dead."

"Of course I'm alive, Giroro," Keroro snapped, eyes narrowing. "How else could I possibly carry out my destiny? I will become, without a doubt, the best galaxy-wide designer!"

"Consider yourself lucky that I'm too tired to beat you to a bloody pulp, you idiot." Giroro's eyes narrowed to slits. If there was any mercy in the universe, he would be assigned to a separate position than Keroro. "Besides, I want to make a good first impression for Colonel Shariri."

"That sounds quite hypocritical coming from the Keronian that called me a kiss-ass, Giroro."

"Shut up. Shariri was the technology expert and strategic officer in your father's platoon. If anyone has a reason to try and impress him, it would be you, Keroro."

The sound of the shuttle's door opening was enough to capture the attention of the two dueling Keronians.

"Finally! I thought my legs were going to fall off!" Keroro practically skipped off of the craft, accidently knocking over more than one other Keronian on his way out.

Immediately after exciting the craft, the new soldiers were herded toward the massive military base. For many of them, this was the first time they had ever been to this part of Keron. Unlike the climate-controlled city they had left from, the East Star Base was located in an arid, war-torn region of Keron. No species or group had ever inhabited it long enough to settle it.

The massive doors leading into the compound opened, angling themselves so that they diverted the current around the entrance to allow the soldiers inside. The crackle of electricity sent a shiver down Giroro's body. So this was the impenetrable East Star Base; the gateway to the war.

Once inside, the one of the guards that had been leading them stopped and gestured toward a tubular shaped building near the inner wall.

"All individuals below the rank of Corporal are to head to the indicated barracks. Once inside, you will find that all the beds are labeled. You will find the bunk with your name on it, along with your supplies stored under it, and remain in that building until told otherwise. You are dismissed!"

Day was beginning to break by the time the Keronians reached the barracks. By this time, Giroro was extremely exhausted. He was too tired to even curse the universe for allowing Keroro to be assigned to the bunk directly next to him. He barely felt his body hit the bunk before he drifted into a deep, yet restless sleep.

_Giroro didn't know whether it was night or day. The endless abyss that cradled him appeared to expand and contract as if it were breathing as he floated down. Was he floating down? As far as he could tell, there was no such thing as 'down' or 'up' anymore. _

_A warm envelope of liquid surrounded him, relieving him of his growing fear. He closed his eyes and let the fluid wash over his body. _

_He was brought back from complete bliss by the sound of someone calling his name. His eyes snapped open to see Keroro standing before him. The green Keronian's was shaking horribly and his eyes were wide with sheer terror. _

"_Giroro, what are you doing?" The Keronian's voice was as shaky as his body. _

_Giroro, feeling an inexplicable sense of shame, looked down to avoid Keroro's horrified, accusatory expression. When he did this, his heart immediately turned to ice despite the physical warmth surrounding it. _

_He was swimming in blood. There were bodies too. Dead Keronians floated past him; their blank eyes staring up at him. He only recognized one of the bodies, and its appearance before him was enough to destroy any sanity within his mind. _

_Giroro flailed wildly, attempting to escape from the horrible scene. Just as he was almost free, several hands wrapped themselves around his ankles and pulled him downward, into the pool of blood. The red fluid began to enter his mouth, choking him. His eyes felt as though they were on fire. He was going blind. In one last attempt at salvation, he stretched his hand out, hoping to grab onto something. _

_A hand reached down and wrapped itself around his. With a single pull he was free of the liquid grave. _

_The hand reached out once again to help him wipe the blood from his eyes. He slowly opened his eyes to see Keroro kneeling beside him, smiling kindly._

"_You are a real pain in the butt, Giroro-"_

_The explosion came from the interior of Keroro's body. Giroro was thrown back from the explosion, his own blood mixing with that of Keroro's, which now covered him. He was dying, that he was sure of. Pieces of shrapnel protruded from every inch of his body. Once again, he began to choke on blood filing his lungs. Writhing in agony, he looked upward to see a faceless Keronian standing above him pointing a gun directly toward him. _

"_Pitiful"_

_He tried to scream, but there was no air left in his lungs._

_The gun fired._

"Are you alright, Giroro?"

Giroro woke with a start to find Keroro leaning over him, shaking him.

"You dare do that to me, Keroro!" Giroro's fist connected with the green Keronian's face, knocking him to the ground. "You must have a death wish to pull something like that on me."

"Giroro, listen, I was just trying to-"

"You were trying? If you are going to lie to me, Keroro, make up one that I can believe!" Giroro bent over, laughing uncontrollably. "Since when have you tried at anything?"

"Calm down, Giroro! You were having one hell of a dream." Keroro moved back, alarmed, as the red Keronian headed toward him.

Giroro lunged forward, fist clenched. In a single swift move, Keroro dodged around Giroro's hallucination-driven attack and pinned the red Keronian against the floor. Giroro struggled to no avail, he was held fast. No matter how many times he screamed at or kicked the other, Keroro refused to relinquish his hold.

Keroro smirked. "If you were completely aware right now, you never would have fallen for that trick, Giroro."

Giroro's fit subsided as quickly as it had begun. Then sudden realization that he was once again in the real world, caused him to go into a state of shock. A sudden feeling of guilt washed over him as he turned his head to look at the Keronian holding him down. Had he really attacked Keroro over a dream? How could he, a soldier of Keron, lose his mind completely over a false reality?

"Giroro, are you alright now?" The green Keronian's voice was unusually low, catching Giroro off guard for a second. Giroro was shocked at the concern in his voice. After their childhood friendship had ended, Giroro used every chance he got to insult Keroro or smack him around a bit. Despite the fact that Keronians had many enemies that he could have directed his hatred at, this one Keronian got under his skin like nothing else on Keron. He was a cocky, short-sighted bastard with the most skewed priorities known to the universe.

So why was he worrying about him?

"Yes."

"That was one hell of a dream you were having, Giroro." Keroro released his grip on Giroro, helping the other to his feet.

"It was."

"Anything you want to talk about?"

"No way in hell, idiot," Giroro snarled. "Even if I did, what makes you think I would want to discuss it with you?" The arrogance of the green idiot was appalling. What Giroro found even more repulsive than that was the pity he heard in Keroro's voice. What gave Keroro the right to pity him? Painful memories flowed back into his mind. He couldn't stand it. This was shaping to be too much like that time. He had to get out of here.

"I don't need your pity, Keroro! I've told you this before! I told you this when- that day at the playground."

A sudden look of realization seemed to cross Keroro's face. For a second it appeared as though the green Keronian would back off. Giroro watched a horrified expression form on Keroro's face. However, instead of moving away, the green Keronian moved toward Giroro, his eyes glazed over with tears.

"I'm sorry."

The words felt like an icicle driven into Giroro's chest. He clutched his head desperately. That dream had done something to him. It had brought back memories that he had shoved into his subconscious. The weight of it all being forced back into him caused him to sink to the floor, bent over in agony. The dream had brought back memories of that terrible day; the only day he had ever seen his brother cry, the day when his childhood ended.

He remembered it all; the news broadcast, coming home to find his brother, the person he had looked to for comfort, unresponsive to the outside world, and watching his father drink himself into oblivion. After that day, his world was gone. After that day, none of them were the same again.

He remembered sitting alone on the playground, doubled over sobbing. The rest of the world continued to move along as if nothing had happened. However, something had happened. He sat there for the rest of the day, feeling abandoned by the world. Nobody had even stopped to check on him. That was until…

"_I'm sorry."_

"She was there." Giroro gasped. "She was there." It had all been too much even for him: the faceless Keronian, Keroro risking his life to save his only for them both to be killed, and his mother's body among the nameless Keronians in that pool of blood.

Keroro kneeled down beside Giroro, putting his arm around his companions shoulder. There was nothing he could say to him right now. Besides, a simple act of support could help Giroro more than any amount of talking would. The red Keronians hatred toward didn't matter at this point. Giroro was too proud to admit that even though he hated Keroro, he hated being alone even more.

Keroro understood this. Giroro had been his friend once, after all.

...

Some insight into why Giroro is as screwed up as he is during this point in the story. This fic is mostly my interpretation of the manga version of the characters way before the invasion. I believe that Keroro's and Giroro's deep respect (despite their fights) for each other in the comics is becuase they can understand each other extremely well and can balance each other out.

This is the last of the "set-up" chapters. Shit starts to hit the fan from here.

Hope you enjoy!


	3. The Officer

Giroro and Keroro woke the next day to find the Head of Security at the East Star Base, Sergeant Dariri, standing before them.

"Pack up all your equipment immediately; Colonel Shariri has requested your presence!"

As he prepared his equipment, Giroro felt a warm wave of energy surge through his body. For generations, his family had served as loyal soldiers under the flag of the Keronian Military. The thought of an approaching mission or battle was exciting the warrior blood that flowed through his veins.

"_Pitiful"_

He shook his head in an attempt to remove all memories of that horrible dream and the following, rather un-masculine, breakdown that followed. He had no doubt that his brother would have ripped him apart for acting like that; in front of Keroro no less.

Giroro glanced toward his companion. He was surprised that thee green idiot had not yet gone out of his way to do anything especially stupid or annoying. It was in his nature, after all. Could it be that Keroro was finally starting to act like a soldier?

Keroro side-glanced at Giroro and noticed the questioning stare. A mischievous smirk worked its way across the green Keronian's face. It did not help that the smirk was paired with a slight glint in his eyes that was just as untrustworthy.

"Are you jealous, Giroro?"

And there went the hypothesis of him finally acting like a soldier.

"Who in their right mind would be jealous of you?" Giroro snarled.

"Well to begin, anyone that realizes how absolutely perfect I am. There is not anyone who would not want to be a god among Keronians. Don't get yourself into a knot, though; I promise to teach you my glorious ways once we are put in into a platoon."

"Keroro, there is not a force on Keron that could ever make me be in the same platoon as you."

They finished packing outside to find Sergeant Deriri waiting for them. The Keronian's deep blue eyes glared angrily toward them.

Giroro saluted respectfully. "My apologies, Sergeant Deriri; my acquaintance felt the need to double check that all his toys were packed correctly."

"They are not 'toys', Giroro," Keroro jabbed his finger between the red Keronians's eyes. "They are perfectly scaled models of the Grand Star and the Keronian fleet."

A sudden blow knocked Keroro into the ground. Deriri's foot was pressed firmly into the back of Keroro's head.

"The only reason you are here, Recruit Keroro, is because of your father. Let me make it clear that if I ever get the impression that you value anything over the flag of the Keronian Force, I will see to it that they make you walk back home. Have I been clear enough, Keroro?" A strange look crossed the Sergeants face. "You never should have come here, you idiot! Why don't you just quit while you are ahead?"

"Stand down, Sergeant Deriri!"

The three Keronians turned to see Colonel Shariri standing before them. Shariri was an imposing Keronian, even by officer standards. His long cape and helmet gave him a larger-than-life appearance. Despite this, the only trait that stood out to Giroro was his color. Shariri's skin was a dark yellow, a recessive feature exhibited by only a few families on Keron.

Shariri extended a hand to Keroro, helping the green Keronian to his feet.

"You can return to your post, Deriri. I will handle this from here."

Deriri saluted quickly and headed toward a smaller office next to the main building. Giroro could not help but admire the old soldier. Even with a heavy limp and scar-covered body, he managed to carry himself in a dignified manner. That was the way of the soldier.

"His leg was damaged during an attack on one of our scouting vehicles. He was given the option of leaving the battlefield but chose to stay. If I had one-hundred like him under my command, this was would be over already." Shariri turned to face the recruits.

"Well, if it isn't the son of Sergeant Taroro! It is a pleasure to meet you, Recruit Keroro. How is your father doing?"

"He is tough as ever, Colonel."

"I have no doubt! That Sergeant could put anyone of us in our place with one arm tied behind his back. Your father would have no difficulty doing that as well, Recruit Giroro."

As the officer turned to address Giroro, Keroro felt a strange feeling rise within him. This officer, Colonel Shariri, was not as two-dimensional as he presented himself to be. Something inside of Keroro warned him to be cautious around him.

"Now that we have finished our introductions, I trust you two are wondering why I have called you two out. Well, to save you the burden of asking, I would like to request that you two serve in my battalion. We are moving out in three days to engage a section of the rebel army directly and can use a few fine recruits such as you to support us."

Giroro could not believe what he was hearing. Here he was, a new soldier in the Keron Force, being offered a position by one of the Keronian Army's top strategic officers. He raised his hand in a rapid salute to Shariri. Keroro did the same beside him.

Shariri smiled. "Now that we are in agreement I would like to ask something of you; what level of understanding do you have of explosives?"

"My father taught me to build standard military explosives as well as other improvised kinds, sir." Giroro replied.

"It is just as I thought. Your father always had an unmatched knowledge of and skill with explosives and other weapons. I could never imagine that he would not pass it onto his prized sons. Speaking of which; how his Garuru?"

Giroro felt himself tense up at the sound of his brother's name. "He's fine, sir. The medics estimate that he will be able to return to the military."

A concerned look crossed the officer's face. However, it vanished as quickly as it appeared. Giroro could not help but wonder how well Colonel Shariri had known his brother. After all, Garuru had worked under Shariri for a short time before he was transferred to the West Star Base. Shariri must have known Garuru well in order to be concerned about his well-being.

"That is good news, Giroro. Your brother is one hell of a soldier. Fortunately for us, we will get a chance at the traitors that injured him and killed several of our brothers. I have a feeling that we will be able to put your knowledge of explosives to good use in this war. You shall remain under my direct command. As for you, Keroro, I am putting you under the command of Sergeant Deriri. He may seem like a hard case but he is the best soldier in this base. He will also be moving out with us in three days so you can continue training during that time."

Keroro sighed. The last thing he wanted was to have to work under that stuck-up, irritation, pompous ass of a Sergeant.

"Giroro, there is a room prepared for you in the main building. I will notify you later about the training schedule. Keroro, you are to report directly to Deriri." With one last nod to the two recruits, Shariri nodded and turned toward the main base. The two recruits stood for a few seconds in silence.

Giroro turned to Keroro once more. "I guess we will meet up again, Keroro."

"Don't get into too much trouble, Giroro."

"You say that like I was the one to always get us into trouble."

Silently the two recruits headed off. Keroro cautiously made his way up to the small building that served as Deriri's office and temporary home. The green Keronian walked uneasily up to the door. He knew that Deriri would not be thrilled with having to mentor and train him. He knocked on the door twice and waited.

The door opened to reveal the old Sergeant. The white Keronian glared down at Keroro for several seconds. Just as Keroro thought his stare was going to burn a hole through him, the old Keronian's gaze softened.

"Come in, Keroro." Deriri's voice was different was different from before. It was softer and less strained.

Keroro silently stepped in and flinched as he heard the door shut behind him.

"I must apologize for being so hard on you this morning. Let's just say that it has been a hard week for me." Deriri indicated a seat for Keroro. "Besides, you are still young. Sometimes I tend to forget that."

"I've completed training, Sergeant. It's not like I'm still a tadpole." Keroro countered defensively. The one insult he could not stand was being called a child. Yes, he did not take everything in life seriously, but when did that become what was expected? It seems like Keronian's are divided into two categories; boring assholes and immature brats.

"I never said you were."

Keroro could not hide his confusion. This morning Deriri had slammed his face into the ground. Now, after only a short time, he could not be sure that this was even the same Keronian.

"I guess both of us must make the best of this situation. I have posted your training schedule in your room down the hall. For now, I want you to take the rest of the day off. Believe me when I say you will need the rest."

Keroro grinned. He had been wrong about Sergeant Deriri. The old soldier was actually pretty cool as far as Keronian military members go.

"One more thing before you go, Keroro." Keroro could hear concern in Deriri's voice. "If you notice any changes in your friend's behavior I want you to come to me immediately."

Keroro was caught off guard by this request. It almost seemed as if Deriri was wary of Giroro's new position under Shariri. He couldn't shake the feeling that Deriri had a genuine reason for asking this of Keroro.

"Get some rest now, Keroro. Tomorrow, I will teach you how to be a true soldier of Keron."


End file.
